Vanilla Cappuccino & Chocolate Cream on Pear Compote Pie

Ingredients

Featured ingredient: Vanilla Cappuccino Coffee 10 oz. Bag Ground

For Pie Crust:

• • 1 and 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

For Coffee Pear Compote:

• • 2 small-medium red pears
  • 1 cup brewed Door County Vanilla Cappuccino Coffee
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

For Vanilla Cappuccino and Chocolate Cream:

• • 3 oz. dark chocolate bar (I used 70 % cacao with almond)
  • 2 and 1/4 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons Door County Vanilla Cappuccino Coffee (ground)

Instructions

Make pear compote:

1. Peel each pear, cut into four, core and slice each quartered pear into 1/4 inch thick lengthwise.
2. Put 1 cup of brewed coffee and 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar into a medium-large saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium.
3. When it starts to bubble, reduce heat to medium-low, put pears into the saucepan, place a parchment paper or aluminum foil which is smaller than the diameter of the saucepan to cover pears or use a smaller lid to cover the pears (don’t cover tightly) then put the lid for the saucepan (otoshibuta method)
4. Cook pears for 15 minutes turning pears a couple of times halfway through. Let cool to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to use.
5. Butter and flour a 9- inch pie pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Make pie crust:

1. In a bowl, mix together graham crackers, melted butter and 2 tablespoons of milk. Work with hands until the mixture almost holds together.
2. Transfer the mixture into the pan and with hand, press mixture firmly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan and poke holes in the crust. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Let cool on a rack then refrigerate until ready to use.

Make vanilla cappuccino and chocolate cream:

1. In a saucepan, warm up 1 cup of milk and stir in 3 tablespoons of ground coffee. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5-6 minutes.
2. Chop 2 oz. of the chocolate bar into small pieces (reserve 1 oz. for later use).
3. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, combine chocolate pieces and 1 cup of milk. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat.
4. In a large saucepan, put 1/4 cup of milk, 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar and cornstarch. Turn on the heat to medium- low and stir to melt sugar and the mixture is well blended.
5. Strain the coffee mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the cornstarch mixture saucepan. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the saucepan. Cook stirring constantly until thickened (13-15 minutes). Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
6. When the cream has cooled, take the pie crust and pear compote out of the refrigerator. Put the cream into the crust. Arrange the pear compote over the filling. With a knife, shave 1 oz. of chocolate bar and sprinkle over the top. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until cream is set and the pie is chilled.